


Trees

by NebraskaWildfire



Series: Red [7]
Category: Alias Smith and Jones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 12:13:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21179228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NebraskaWildfire/pseuds/NebraskaWildfire
Summary: Heyes and Curry ponder their future.





	Trees

There just were too many trees. It wasn’t that they hadn’t spent time among trees before. Heyes remembered well the forests of the mountains in Colorado and the trees by the Yellowstone in Wyoming. Heck, even Devil’s Hole had enough trees in its canyons.

It was the openness of wild areas like the Laramie Plains, or the vastness of the vistas of the Southwest, that he missed, or maybe even the flatness of the prairies of Kansas.

There were just too many trees in the moist climate of the East.

If he were honest with himself though, it was more that there were too many people in the East. At one time he thought they could hide among the multitudes on this side of the Mississippi, but even that had turned out not to be true.

He looked out of the library window, into the trees of the park across the street. It was beautiful, but just contained more trees and more people.

He heard a measured tread coming down the hall carpet. It was a step he would know anywhere, even dampened almost to silence by the thick carpet. He turned his dark eyes towards the arched doorway, to meet the glacial blue eyes of his cousin, partner, and still his best friend, even now that he had finally married the woman he loved.

“Hi, Kid,” he smiled briefly at Jedediah Curry, who he had not called by any other name, ever since neither of them no longer qualified for that particular name. Hannibal Heyes turned his head and gazed out into the park again and sighed.

They had spent so much time together over the years, depending on no one else, that an entire conversation had passed between the two even with that briefest of looks. That they were both bored, anyone could see. He worried over what else he had seen in his cousin’s eyes.

“Heyes.”

He looked back at the Kid, knowledge in his face.

“I gotta go.”

Heyes nodded, but then continued, “With it being so soon after the amnesty, you know you’ll be in danger, don’t you?”

The Kid nodded and then followed Heyes’ gaze out the window into the park.

“And I won’t be there to cover your back.”

“I thought it was always me that had to cover your back.” The Kid glanced back at Heyes and met a grim smile with a wry one of his own.

“Red just can’t travel.”

The Kid nodded, but continued. “I know.”

“You’re still determined to go?”

A brief nod came from Curry.

“Ah, Kid, of all the women in the world, you had to go and pick that one.” Heyes just shook his head, and met his cousin’s gaze once more.

“I think she sort of picked me.” The Kid smiled softly.

“From what I’ve seen, I think it’s been sort of mutual.” Heyes would not let the Kid off that easily.

Blue eyes met brown. “Heyes, I honestly think we still wouldn’t have gotten that blasted amnesty if it hadn’t been for her.”

Heyes harrumphed. “That don’t make me feel any better, Kid. Knowing I’m beholdin’ to Bessie, for the amnesty.”

The Kid’s eyes crinkled. “I don’t have any problem with that.”

“I don’t think Senator Warren worked with Governor Barber to get us our amnesties, just so that you could marry Bessie.”

The Kid sat still for a minute, thinking. Heyes waited, as always jealous of how little the Kid appeared bothered, but knowing his brain was working.

“I figure the Senator isn’t that stupid.”

“I figure he thought he’d be more persuasive with Bessie,” Heyes locked eyes with the Kid.

“Then maybe he don’t know his daughter as well as I do.”

A small smile came across Heyes’ face. “Maybe that’s why they never found the right husband for her.”

Curry smiled back, his eyes brilliant. “I’m hoping she has.”

Heyes searched the Kid’s eyes. “You are really certain about this?”

The Kid was thoughtful again and then met Heyes’ scrutiny. “I know I gotta go and see. Maybe something will keep it from happening after all, but I gotta try.”

Heyes looked thoughtful now, but then that wry smile came out. “How on earth do you deal with that incessant chatter?” 

“I have my ways.” The Kid’s smile became huge.

“I don’t want to know.” Heyes held up his hands and ducked his head like he was avoiding a blow, rather than the truth.

“Ah, heck, Heyes, it’s never bothered me about you and Red.”

“Yeah, but that’s Red.” Heyes shrugged. He looked back out the window until his cousin continued.

“She doesn’t talk any more than you do, Heyes.” That resulted in a glare from his partner, until he continued. “But I gotta go.”

Heyes finally nodded. “It’ll be cold in Wyoming still, this time of year.”

“Not any colder than we’ve dealt with before.”

“The last few years before the amnesty, before we came East, we weren’t up north in the winter. You do remember that, don’t you?”

“Yes, Heyes, but what I remember more is the bone chilling winters at Devil’s Hole.”

“So, where will you be?”

“Her ranch is at Centennial.”

“But she’s not there yet.”

“Figured I’d get the lay of the land first, and see if it’s somewhere I can live.”

Heyes was very quiet.

“You think she’ll want to live out there?” he asked. “She’s spent a lot of time back East recently.”

“Her parents have been trying to find her a husband.”

“Looks like she did that on her own.”

There was silence for a minute.

“It’s where I want to live.” The Kid’s eyes said everything.

Heyes broke contact, and he stared out into the trees.

“Me, too, Kid.”

Curry looked up at Heyes, until his partner met his eyes. “And Red?”

“I don’t know.”

Alexandra Stanton Heyes was laying on the divan in the sitting room attached to the suite she shared with her husband. Her eyes were closed. A book lay open, discarded. Her aunt, Violet Stanton, sat in one of the chairs, with her embroidery hoop, quietly stitching.

“Aunt, I know it wasn’t your choice, but you should count your blessings that you never had to experience this.”

Since Alex’s eyes were closed, she did not catch a look that crossed her aunt’s face, before Violet smiled gently at her niece.

“You will count your blessings, once the child is here, and not remember the trials that you had to endure to get to that end.”

“I think that is a lie, Aunt.” Alex turned a bit more pale, but looked better after a few calming breaths.

“Both the doctors and the midwives say that strong morning sickness is a sign of a healthy baby.”

Alex peeked open one eye and looked at her aunt. “Trust Hannibal to excel at this, as he has at so much else.”

“Did I hear my name?” Heyes smiled at his wife as he entered the room. “And without a curse?”

“No actual curse, my love, since Aunt Violet is here.”

Heyes perched on the side of the divan and took his wife’s hand. “How are you feeling?” A wry smile covered his face and he looked hopeful. “Better?”

“Better is relative.” She took his hand and intertwined their fingers.

“If you two don’t mind,” Violet started. “I’m going to take advantage of Hannibal being here and have a rest of my own.”

“Of course not, Violet,” Heyes answered before Alexandra could. He smiled at his wife. “Then she can get all the cursing at me out of her system.”

“I doubt if Aunt Violet will stay away that long, love,” Alex had closed her eyes again, but finally a faint smile crossed her face.

Heyes rose as Violet left the room. She exchanged a look with him and he smiled back at her. She just shook her head. He sat back down on the divan and gently gathered his wife into his arms.

“I do have to warn you, I have yet to throw up today,” Red murmured into her husband’s neck.

“I’ll look at that as a sign you are doing better.” Red could hear he smile in his voice.

“Maybe better at managing it,” she replied.

He simply nodded and they sat in silence for a while. He rubbed her back and she relaxed against him.

He wasn’t certain if she had dozed off, but he asked, “Red?”

“Hmmm? I’m so comfortable right now Hannibal. This better be important.”

“I think it is.”

“Let’s see if I agree.”

“The Kid is going out to Bessie’s ranch.”

“Yes.” She opened her eyes and looked up into his face, but he was looking out of the window, into the trees beyond. “I thought that was their plan.”

“He’s going now.”

“Oh.” Her face showed some confusion. “But she’s still in Washington, isn’t she?”

“Yes.” Heyes said, then continued. “He said he wanted to see if Centennial is the place he wants to live.”

“Permanently?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh.” She ran her hand against his chest, back and forth. It was comforting to them both. “He doesn’t think she’ll want to come back East?”

“That probably will be something they’ll need to discuss.”

“And us?” she asked quietly.

He looked into her eyes and nodded. “Would you consider moving West again?” he asked quietly.

It was her turn to look out into the trees. “I don’t know.”

He simply nodded. “Do you think it would ever be safe?”

“You probably have a better idea of that than I do.” Their hands intertwined. “Do you think I’m safe here?”

He started to say something, but then shrugged. 

“You and the Kid probably would be safer here,” she said.

“I know,” he replied.

“Do you want to go?” she asked, more firmly than she intended.

“Not without you, my love.” He smiled. “Or our child.”

“If we could go?” she persisted.

“Well, right now, you can’t,” he stated emphatically.

“I guess that’s my answer.”

He looked down at her, questioningly.

“Hannibal, you are nothing, if not eloquent in expressing your opinion, if you have one. If you didn’t want to go, you would have said so.”

“Isn’t that sort of backwards logic?”

“Doesn’t mean I’m not right,” she insisted.

He sighed. “There just are too many trees.”


End file.
